Admission requirements for studies at university in Finland

General requirements

Undergraduate studies (first cycle)

If you have successfully completed upper secondary studies in one of the signatory countries of the Lisbon Convention, are in possession of a valid school leaving certificate and qualify for higher education studies in your home country, you may also qualify for higher education studies in Finland. However, you are requested to prove your level of English. In some cases, you are also requested to take additional qualifying courses.

Doctoral studies (third cycle)

In the event you are applying for doctoral studies at university in Finland, you are required to be in possession of a relevant diploma or master's degree program.

English language requirements

EU students

If you are an EU student, you may be exempted from the English language test at the majority of polytechnics and universities in Finland as long as you provide a certificate of your language skills.

Non-EU students

If English was not the language of instruction of your previous studies and you are not a student from another state of the European Union or EEA, you will need to prove your English language skills with one of the following:

The Finnish Matriculation Examination

Upon completion of upper secondary studies, Finnish students take the Matriculation Examination. The purpose of this exam is to check the level of maturity and knowledge of students. When passing the Matriculation Examination, students are able to apply for higher education studies.

Are you uncertain whether you have to take the Finnish Matriculation Examination?

If you are not sure whether you should be taking the Finnish Matriculation Examination in order to qualify for higher education studies in Finland, we recommend you contact the university or polytechnic you are interested in and ask about your specific situation.

When applying for a study place at a university or polytechnic in Finland as an undergraduate student, your grade point average from previous studies or the results you obtain in entrance examinations will determine whether you will be admitted or not. Therefore, always check with the university or polytechnic of your choice about the minimum passing grade you need to meet.